Dr Helen Ross is back with some very important thoughts for teachers as they start the new term with dyslexic learners!

Helen writes:

This blog will give you a brief overview of what dyslexia is and how it can affect far more than

reading or writing for the young people you work with and support. It is written from my personal

experiences as someone with dyslexia but I also draw upon my 15 years as a teacher working to

support young people with dyslexia. This is quite hard-hitting but it really is about making sure that

professionals working with dyslexic students have an overview of what dyslexia can look like in the

classroom and why. I do write and talk a lot about the strengths of dyslexia generally but I think it is vital to

acknowledge the difficulties that come from the experience of it.

Dyslexia- more than reading and writing

The British Dyslexia Association definition of dyslexia links it to weaknesses in phonological

processing, verbal memory and verbal processing, but also notes that there are often other

challenges around it, linked to organisation and verbal and auditory processing.

Phonological processing is about how your brain manages sounds and manipulates them. Individuals with dyslexia can find it tricky to hold on to sounds, manipulate them and to the discern differences between them. This can impact on how they are able to read and spell words. If you can’t hear or process sounds easily then reading and/or spelling can be very challenging.

Verbal memory is about holding onto information that is spoken. There are two elements of verbal memory that are commonly linked to dyslexia: short term and working memories. The short term memory is where information is held for short time – it behaves like a shelf where information is kept briefly before it is either put in the bin (and forgotten) or transferred to long term memory through practice and repeated use of the information. This leads to verbal working memory, where information is manipulated and adjusted. It may be that the verbal information in working memory is held briefly while the brain is busy holding on to something else. This part of verbal memory is implicated hugely in learning and is where mental maths happens, the organisation of ideas in writing and retaining concepts and tasks while starting work on them. Vulnerabilities in verbal memory can mean that students have to work disproportionately hard compared with their peers.

Verbal processing is the location, retrieval and articulation of language-based information, whether

it spoken or written form. In those with dyslexia, it can look like word-finding difficulties and challenges

in retrieving prior learning.

Dyslexia in the classroom

Dyslexia in the classroom can look very different from just having challenges in reading, writing and

spelling. Of course these are significant challenges that people do have in relation to their literacy as

a result of dyslexia, but it can be so much more, and can be somewhat unexpected in young people,

particularly when they appear to be ‘doing OK’ in school.

Phonological processing

Weaknesses in phonological processing are probably the most ‘classic’ area that is affected by

dyslexia. Where young people do have difficulties in their ability to hold onto sounds and manipulate

them, it can substantially impact on their literacy outcomes. Reading relies on the ability to segment

and blend words effectively, whilst also implicating verbal processing where sight-words are met in

passages. Due to the complexities of spelling within the English language, there are a lot of words

that have to be learnt as letter groups, by sight. They are not readily decodable because they don’t

follow common spelling conventions; decoding and phonics is usually a very good starting point in

English but it does not always work. So where people find decoding tricky because of vulnerabilities

in their phonological processing, they may encounter substantial difficulties. This can spill over into

spellings because again, blending, segmenting and also isolation of sounds (phonemes) is needed so

that words can be spelled accurately. If someone has weak phonological skills, spelling is likely to be

difficult for them, which can then impact on writing accurately. Where reading and writing are

negatively impacted it can make accessing other areas of the curriculum very tricky too.

Verbal Memory and Processing

Wobbles in memory are often something that can affect the whole curriculum. Giving instructions or

explaining concepts verbally can be affected; young people might have difficulties remembering

learning or they may complete tasks in an unexpected order. It can mean that young people find

multi-tasking very challenging or that they need to have written or visual prompts to help them

remember what comes next. It is really important to remind young people that forgetting things

does not mean they’re not clever, just that they may have to find some ways around forgetting- I write this as someone with a ‘goldfish brain’!

Verbal processing challenges can feel very frustrating for young people. They know that they know

the answer, or that they know how to write something, but they just can’t quite find it or say it.

Things are on the tip of their tongue or at the nib of their pen, but just not quite there yet! When

students are put on the spot and asked their answer to a question, or if they’re asked to read on the

spot, verbal processing is implicated. This can be really intimidating for young people with dyslexia,

because they may have difficulty in thinking at speed and under pressure. A very simple way around

that can be to let young people volunteer to answer questions or read, rather than asking them!

Final Thoughts.

Dyslexia can make accessing learning really tricky but so many of these challenges can be addressed

through teachers being aware and making adjustments in their practice. Young people with dyslexia

can then start to gain confidence, and show their understanding and share their ideas fully!

Contact Helen.

Got any questions for Helen?

You can contact Helen via her website at www.helensplace.co.uk.

Are you a parent of a child with dyslexia?

I have developed a way for you to reflect on how far you have come in getting support for your child and to identify the next steps that you can take confidently so as to unlock the potential of your child.

Find out more by clicking the link below:

www.parentingdyslexia.co.uk/pddiagnostic